Uniform batch film deposition process and films so produced

Abstract

A batch of wafer substrates is provided with each wafer substrate having a surface. Each surface is coated with a layer of material applied simultaneously to the surface of each of the batch of wafer substrates. The layer of material is applied to a thickness that varies less than four thickness percent across the surface and exclusive of an edge boundary and having a wafer-to-wafer thickness variation of less than three percent. The layer of material so applied is a silicon oxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride with the layer of material being devoid of carbon and chlorine. Formation of silicon oxide or a silicon oxynitride requires the inclusion of a co-reactant. Silicon nitride is also formed with the inclusion of a nitrification co-reactant. A process for forming such a batch of wafer substrates involves feeding the precursor into a reactor containing a batch of wafer substrates and reacting the precursor at a wafer substrate temperature, total pressure, and precursor flow rate sufficient to create such a layer of material. The delivery of a precursor and co-reactant as needed through vertical tube injectors having multiple orifices with at least one orifice in registry with each of the batch of wafer substrates and exit slits within the reactor to create flow across the surface of each of the wafer substrates in the batch provides the within-wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity.

1 . A batch of wafer substrates, each wafer substrate of the batch of wafer substrates having a surface, said batch of wafer substrates comprising: 
 a layer of material applied simultaneously onto the surface of each of the batch of wafer substrates to a thickness that varies less than four thickness percent three sigma within each wafer substrate exclusive of an edge boundary and having a wafer-to-wafer thickness variation of less than three percent, said material selected from the group consisting of SiO x  where x is between 1.9 and 2.0 inclusive, Si y N where y is between 0.75 and 1 inclusive, and SiO m N n  where n/(n+m) is between 0.2 and 0.4 inclusive; said layer of material substantially devoid of carbon and chlorine.    
   
   
       2 . The batch of wafer substrates of  claim 1  wherein each wafer substrate has a diameter of 300 millimeters.  
   
   
       3 . The batch of wafer substrates of  claim 1  wherein said material is Si y N and hydrogen is present in an amount of equal to or less than 1-y when y is less than 1 and greater than 0.75.  
   
   
       4 . The batch of wafers of  claim 3  wherein the thickness varies less than three thickness percent within each wafer substrate.  
   
   
       5 . The batch of wafers of  claim 1  wherein said batch has from 2 to 200 substrates.  
   
   
       6 . The batch of wafers of  claim 1  wherein said material is SiO m N n  and m is between 0.6 and 0.8 and n is between 0.2 and 0.4 inclusive.  
   
   
       7 . A process of simultaneously depositing a layer of material onto a batch of wafer substrates comprising: 
 feeding a Si—N—Si structure containing precursor into a reactor containing said batch of wafer substrates; and    reacting said Si—N—Si structure containing precursor at a wafer substrate temperature, total pressure, and precursor flow rate to form a layer of material onto a surface of each said batch of wafer substrates to a thickness that varies less than four thickness percent three sigma within each wafer across the surface exclusive of an edge boundary and having a wafer-to-wafer thickness variation of less than three percent, said layer substantially devoid of carbon and chlorine.    
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 7  wherein said Si—N—Si structure containing precursor is trisilylamine.  
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 7  further comprising introducing a coreactant into said reactor, said coreactant modifying a material layer deposition factor selected from the group consisting of: deposition mechanism and material layer composition.  
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 9  wherein said coreactant is a nitrification reactant.  
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 10  wherein said nitrification reactant is selected from the group consisting of: NH 3 , HN 3 , H 2 N 2 , secondary amines, tertiary amines, NH* and NH 2 *; and said layer of material has the formula Si y N where y is between 0.75 and 1 inclusive.  
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 9  wherein said co-reactant is an oxidation reactant.  
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 12  wherein said oxidation reactant is selected from the group consisting of: O 2 , O 3 , O*, OH*, H 2 O, H 2 O 2 , NO, N 2 O, NO 2 , and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       14 . The process of  claim 12  wherein said layer of material is SiO x  where x is between 1.9 and 2.0 inclusive.  
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 8  wherein said wafer substrate temperature is less than 600° Celsius and said total pressure is less than 30 Torr.  
   
   
       16 . The process of  claim 9  wherein said wafer substrate temperature is less than 550° Celsius and said pressure is less than 10 Torr and said precursor and said coreactant are metered simultaneously into said reactor.  
   
   
       17 . The process of  claim 7  wherein said Si—N—Si structure containing precursor is fed into said reactor through a vertical tube injector having a plurality of orifices, at least one of said plurality of orifices in registry with each of said batch of wafer substrates and exit slits to create a flow across the surface of each of said batch of wafer substrates.  
   
   
       18 . The process of  claim 17  further comprising delivering a coreactant to said reactor through a second vertical tube injector having a second plurality of orifices, at least one of said secondary plurality of orifices in registry with each of said batch of wafer substrates and said exit slits.  
   
   
       19 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said precursor and said coreactant are simultaneously fed into said reactor.  
   
   
       20 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said coreactant includes oxygen atoms and nitrogen atoms to yield said layer of material having a composition SiO m N n  where m is between 0.6 and 0.8 inclusive and n is between 0.2 and 0.4 inclusive.  
   
   
       21 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said coreactant is an oxidation reactant and said layer of material has a composition SiO x  where x is between 1.9 and 2.0 inclusive.  
   
   
       22 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said coreactant is a nitrification reactant and said layer of material has a composition Si y N where y is between 0.75 and 1 inclusive.  
   
   
       23 . The process of  claim 18  wherein said coreactant is fed to said reactor at a rate of more than three times that of said precursor.  
   
   
       24 . The process of  claim 7  wherein said precursor has the formula:  
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     where R 1 , R 2  and R 3  are each independently hydrogen or C 1-8  alkyl, R 1  is SiH 3  when R 2  and R 3  are both hydrogen, and R 4  is hydrogen, C 1-8  alkyl, or Si bonded to R 1 , R 2  and R 3 .  
   
   
       25 . The process of  claim 9  further comprising exposing said coreactant to a plasma generator discharge.